What Should the Outgoing Mail Server Be for My iPhone?

If you want to be able to check your emails on the go, you can set up your iPhone's Mail app to sync automatically with almost any email account. To do this, you may need some specific information about your mail server, although most commonly used email providers are set up so that you only need to enter your username and password.

When you send an email, it undergoes several processes that can vary depending on how your email provider is set up. First, the email client -- the program that manages your emails -- sends the email to a server. The details of the transmission are specified according to SMTP, or Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. Sometimes, the server must send the email to another server before it can be sent to the recipient's local email client. The email must then be retrieved by the recipient's client. This retrieval is governed by either POP (Post Office Protocol) or IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol).

Several email clients can manage your emails, from computer programs such as Apple Mail and Microsoft Exchange to Internet-hosted accounts such as Hotmail, Gmail and Yahoo! Mail. The proper outgoing mail server for setting up your iPhone Mail app will depend on the email client you use for the account you want to sync. You can set up multiple accounts from different clients on the iPhone, if you choose.

To set up Mail, you can either open the Mail app if it is the first time you are using it, or you can set up an account through the Settings app. In Settings, tap "Mail, Contacts, Calendars," and then tap "Add Account." A list of commonly used email clients appears. If you see your client listed, tap that listing; otherwise, tap "Other." You will then need to enter your email address and your password. You may also be asked to fill in your name, a description or your username. You do not need to fill out your outgoing mail server; this will be detected.

If you still need to determine your outgoing server, open Settings, tap "Mail, Contacts, Calendars," and tap your mail account, which is listed at the top of the screen. Tap "Account." Your outgoing mail server, or SMTP, is listed. Tap this listing. Tap the SMTP server for your particular client. For example, Gmail's outgoing mail server is smtp.gmail.com, Hotmail's is smtp.live.com, Yahoo!'s is smtp.mail.yahoo.com, MSN's is smtp.email.msn.com and AOL's is smtp.aol.com.